2003Contenders

The interesting thing to me was the myth that Peters came in, struggled early due to having been out of shape from missing training camp -- and the then managed to get it together 3-4 games into the season. Recall that the coaching staff tried to ease him back in: he skipped all of the first game and played part-time against the Jags in Week 2. However, remember that the team payed well during this supposed catch-up spell for Peters and was 5-1 after the first 7 weeks of the season (counting bye week). His horrible performances against the AFC East teams (and Joey Porter and the Dolphins in particular) can hardly be blamed for his not having been in game shape. Peters is an enigma. He has the natural talent to be an elite LT. Like him or not, he has the God-given freakish size/athleticism to dominate at the position if he so chooses. The question is whether or not he has the desire to do this on every play. I certainly believe that he let his teammates down for leaving them high and dry in training camp -- and then showing up and playing with a less than 100% effort attitude. From a physical standpoint, the position has undeniably been downgraded -- but from a commitment standpoint I believe that it is has most certainly been upgraded. The sad thing is that Reid and his staff seem to be able to get more out of their players than Jauron and company, so I suspect that Peters will play well for the Eagles next season. The question we will never know the answer to (assuming that I am correct) is: Was this due to a better situation in Philly (i.e. supporting cast and coaching) or due to the fact that the Eagles paid him and made him a happy/motivated man? The media will certainly insist on the latter.

Under normal circumstances, I would want to see the team defer so that they potentially have a chance to have the ball two possessions in a row. Also, the first possession of the 2nd half may be the most underrated possession of the game, since it allows the offense to take the field immediately after 2nd half adjustments. The flaw to this logic as it relates to the Bills is: 1. Jauron gets WAY to conservative with the final possession of the first half. How many times have we seen the offense take a knee when there is still nearly two minutes and even timeouts still available? 2. The coaching staff hasn't consistently shown that they are capable of making quality adjustments during halftime.

I enjoy these lists that the NFL Network does, but sometimes they just TRY to be contrary to create a buzz. For example, they decided to include the 1987 49ers team that did NOT make it to the Super Bowl as opposed to that 1994 juggernaut or one of those 1988 or 1989 back-to-back teams? Reminds me of a couple of weeks ago when they had their Top 10 All Time Cowboys with Michael Irvin at #3 -- ahead of Emmit Smith!

This is one personnel move that I do NOT blame on Donahoe. In fact, he pretty much forced Gregg to hire LeBeau as an "advisor". Not to defend Gray, but the defense was pretty good in 2004 too, the year LeBeau went to Pittsburgh. It's funny how a roster that includes the likes of a healthy TKO, Fletcher in his prime, a productive Schobel, Sam Adams, Big Pat, Nate Clements, etc. can make a DC look pretty good, huh? Swap Ellison out with the 2003/2004 version of TKO and replace Kyle Williams with Pat Williams, and how good do you think the 2009 defense could be?

I think it is a two-way street, McNabb said he didn't want to sign a new deal without assurance from the team that they would help with the supporting cast. I guess trading for Peters and drafting Maclin in the first was evidence enough for him.

There are certainly many things to criticize Jauron for: game day management, not always surrounding himself with the best available coaches, etc. However, no one can claim that his players don't play hard for him. I have no problem with his rewarding them in this fashion.

This dude who calls himself HogBoy told me he saw Marshawn sitting at the bar with Thurman Thomas puffing away on cigarettes.

Everett (knee), Roscoe (wrist), Bowman (knee)...

Time will tell about which pick was better. However, the Bills' primary goal was to improve their pass rush, and the felt that Maybin was a better choice for that to happen. Also, the Redskins' Vinnie Cerrato said that he knew that the Bills were not going to take Orakpo because of their bad look with players from the University of Texas. Moreover, there was a prevailing that Orakpo may be a great athlete -- but not a great football player.

There was a time when Felser was indeed the most informed and best writer in town. Alas, since he more or less retired several years ago, he no long has the cred he did when he was a real practicing journalist. I like that he writes these columns for the Buffalo News for old times sake, but it is more about the nostalgia for those who grew up reading his columns that actually trying to get his take on the team's present situation. Unfortunately, this column reads too much like the ill-informed national bits we get from ESPN and their ilk. In all honesty, I think the team has done a pretty good job over the years of keeping who they should and waving goodbye to those they shouldn't. Pat Williams is the most notable exception -- and maybe the absolute biggest mistake that Donahoe made in his tenure as GM. The problem with both Winfield and Clements is that they wanted ridiculous paydays -- and got them. I NEVER faulted the Bills for not signing them to the kind of lucrative contracts that they found in Minny and SF. The Parrish thing is something entirely different. My great fear with him is that he winds up in the hands of a team with a quality coaching staff (Like NE) that knows how to make the best use f his unique skills.

This was Pisa trying to shed the possible light on the fcat that he had to sign such a minimal contract -- and is currently playing with the 2nd team. I think it confirms what many of us suspected all along: the Bills were not THAT interested in him.

It is true that, like Sam Wyche, Jaws did like JP very much when he entered the league. His combination of arm strength and mobility was very enticing. However, I think it became obvious to even casual observers that JP was simply not ever going to get any better. He just didn't get "it". The hope is that TE will continue to get better the more he plays.

I find these stats to be very noteworthy. Why? Because it shows something about Jauron -- and what he does with the talent on hand. Over an 8 year stretch Belichick only managed to win 5 more games than Jauron. Those 8 years included a couple of playoff seasons (including a Super Bowl run). Taken over the longer haul, it reveals that when BB's teams have been good, they have been VERY good, but when bad, VERY bad. So what am I saying? I guess that Jauron may be better at dealing with a sorry roster than is BB but less able to win when he has all (or most) of the pieces in place. I think Jauron's conservative style actually does well for him when saddled with inferior talent: the philosophy is basically to keep it close and hope to pull it out in the 4th quarter. That's why I actually give him high marks in 2006-2007 for getting this seriously undermanned team to a 7-9 record, when the team probably wasn't even that good. My fear is that he is more of a damage control sort of coach rather than the guy to lead you to the Promised Land. We certainly saw glimpses of that last year when the team seriously underachieved after their 5-1 start.

I have a feeling that the Bills would have still taken Wood at 21 -- which would have led to outbursts on this board about how could they have passed up Oher and Mack!

Assuming for a moment that the Bills did indeed make it back to the other 3 Super Bowls, I honestly do believe that they would have won at least one of them. Let's throw out SB XXVII because of the manner in which they lost that game and the fact that team was easily the most undeserving of the 4. As for SB XXVI, it is really hard to say. I do believe that the Redskins were the better team, but the Bills certainly had their opportunities and squandered them. The offense came out so jacked up that they didn't settle down until the second half -- when they were already behind by 3 scores. If they come in as defending champs rather than desperate underdogs, maybe the tempo is different? I will, however, believe until my dying day that if they had won that first one, they would have won the last one, where they were up by a TD at half time and moving the ball with conviction in the first series of the second half. If they score there, they are up by 2 scores -- and the Cowboys likely have to rely on the concussed Aikman to air it out. When Thurman fumbled that ball, you could just sense the air come out and the "Here we go again" mentality settle in.

Let's not forget about the questions surrounding Youboty's health. If he isn't 100% by training camp, I could see him going on IR (especially if Corner plays as well as the coaches seem to feel that he will.) Meanwhile, if either of the two late round DBs from this year's draft turn heads, it could spell doom for Florence. I am not making predictions there, just pointing out a couple of potential surprises.

I understand what you are saying; however, I disagree. If you look back at Manning's rookie year, he struggled quite a bit himself. The team went 3-13 that year, and he threw A LOT of interceptions. But you could tell that he had supreme confidence in himself and that he would eventually become a good QB. I remember Manning, in particular, standing up and taking the potshots from reporters -- never deflecting the blame and at the same time not looking lost/scared/frustrated. Contrast that with Leaf's infamous "Knock it off!" outburst. I remember that 1998 draft very well. There were many at the time that thought that Leaf was the better prospect because he had the bigger arm. (People forget that the Chargers actually traded a boatload of picks, including the following year's #1, to move up ONE spot with the Cardinals for the right to take Leaf). I remember that Ted Marchibroda once said that a good NFL QB needs 3 things: intelligence, physical toughness and mental toughness. Manning had/has all three of these things. Leaf had none of the three.

FWIW, remember that Winfield left Buffalo, agreed in principle to a contract with the Jets -- then flew out to Minnesota and signed a big deal there instead. You can't blame the Bills for not being willing (or able) to compete for such high dollar contracts, when the deciding factor really does come down to $. I know some would argue that the team needs to do a better job of working out long-term deals BEFORE the players become free agents. That would be nice, but you also can't blame the players for being excited about hitting paydirt in free agency when these contracts really are so outlandish. The problem is that NFL teams do place a high commodity on CBs. Look at some of the contracts these guys have signed. The Bills NEVER really had a shot at re-signing either Clements or Winfield, which is why they have had to invest high draft picks on DBs. Assuming McGee is gone at the end of this year, we'll all look back and see why the team did what they did.

Actually, I think some of the venom spewed at Jauron (not to mention OBD for bringing him in) is unwarranted. There were numerous reasons why DJ was an appealing coach to the Bills in 2006. The team was looking for an experienced head coach after having whiffed on the two former coordinator before who had no prior head coaching experience. While it is true that DJ's tenure in Chicago was a mixed bag, he was the NFL Coach of the Year in 2001. The next two seasons, the Bears were plagued by a ridiculous number of injuries and having to play all of their home games on the road. In DJ's final year in Chicago (2003), he managed to get a team that was totally decimated by injuries and saddled with a horrible QB situation to 7-9. That was better than the Bills did (6-10) which a roster loaded with much more star power. In fact, many observers felt at the time that DJ got a raw deal, and the Bears GM (who had inherited DJ) wanted to bring in HIS guy. Recall, that DJ had actually been RW's first choice to replace Gregg heading into 2004. As we all know, TD convinced RW that they should hire Mularkey instead. Marv, who had worked as a member of the Chicago media prior to coming back to Buffalo in 2006 was certainly very familiar with DJ. Their styles, demeanor and Ivy league education were very similar. I believe that RW was on board with the hiring, feeling that the team had lost out on DJ's services two years before, and Marv saw in DJ a kindred soul and someone he could work closely with. In a way, the first two years of the DJ era were very similar to the final year in Chicago. Namely, the team went 7-9 both years despite a messy QB situation, a roster lacking in key areas and a slew of injuries. It is REALLY hard to fault a head coach for posting a 7-9 record when he has JP Losman starting at QB for all 16 games, as he did in 2006. The same can be said for a coach who has to deal with placing a near-record number of players on IR as was the case in 2007. I know some will point toward what a coach like Bill Belichick has managed to do under similar situations, but I am not pretending to argue that DJ is in Belichick's league. No one is, for that matter. Thus, I would personally give DJ a passing grade for his efforts in 2006 and 2007. 2008, of course, was another story. And it could point to what I believe could be DJ's fatal flaw. That is, we have seen that he does a fine job with damage control. He can take an undermanned team and get them to perform at a a better-than-expected level. However, last season when the team was on a roll (and Jauron was a serious candidate for NFL Coach of the Year again) at 5-1, the wheels came off the wagon. When playing as front-runners, his players succumbed to the pressure and faded badly, losing to inferior teams like San Francisco and Cleveland -- not to mention both Miami and NY Jets twice, two teams that really were less than special. While I agree that he deserves a failing grade for his complete 2008 body of work, I do understand why OBD decided to keep him in the fold. Money was certainly part of the equation, given that DJ had signed the contract extension when times were good earlier in the year. However, I do believe that the front office was sincere when they said that they were tired of constantly changing directions. The players like DJ and play hard for him. He also enters the season for the first time since he has been here understanding that he doesn't enter the season with the luxury of patience. The team needs to win NOW. If he and the team collapse under this pressure (as they did last year) then he will deservedly be looking for work elsewhere at the conclusion of this season. However, if he does a good job of staying the course (not necessarily making the playoffs, as we can not predict what will unfold this year) and helping this young team continue to get better, I for one will not be calling for his head.

There are some observers (Jim Kelly among them) who felt that Brad Butler was the Bills' best offensive lineman last year.

I guess the way I look at it is this: during TD's reign, we all knew he was calling all of the shots. Thus, TD deserves the praise or criticism for what unfolded during his reign. With 0 playoff appearances, two swings and misses at head coaches and questionable personnel moves, obviously TD winds up with less than a passing grade (regardless of what Mort thinks). In Marv's case, he was more of a figure-head than anything else. Thus, it is difficult to praise ro criticize him for decisions that were made. However, I will say this: I like the current foundation of this team, which was built mostly through the draft, much better than the patch-work that TD had assembled by the time he left. And, I am also NOT ready to call Jauron a mistake just yet. While it is hard to argue that he's NOT coming off a brutal 2008 coaching job, I happen to think that he did a pretty good job in 2006 and 2007.

It will be interesting to see what sort of "no huddle" the team uses and how often they use it. The "Sugar Huddle" that the Bengals used under Boomer and Wyche was very different from the hurry-up offense that Kelly ran. The Bengals version was designed to catch defenses napping and it gave their crafty QB an opportunity to audible at the line of scrimmage (Boomer didn't necessarily call his own plays). Based on Turk's history with the Bengals and Jauron's conservative approach (unlikely to allow the offense to essentially run the two minute drill all game long for fear of wearing out his defense), I would suspect that we will more likely see the Bengals old version.

Whether the Bills are right or wrong about Harris -- we will have to wait and see. The Bills wound up taking him right about where he was projected to go (maybe even a round or so later). The real story was Freeman's decline. He was projected by many of the pundits to be a top 5 OLB (2nd or 3rd round draft pick). That he fell all the way to the 5th round may indicate that there was something about him that worried scouts -- just as Everette Brown's falling all the way to #43 seemed to be such a shocker.

No, I think Brandon was pointing out: Look how we take care of the guys that actually show up, play under their existing contract and participate in camp. No player is going to hold this team hostage by holding out. I think it is a good precedent to set. Peters claimed that holding out was his only leverage. Why is that? Because he decided to hold out after only playing the first two years of what was a very generous contract at the time; thus, with three years remaining on his existing contract he did not have the added leverage of the free agency timetable (as Lee had).

I also sense that the Peters situation actually got to the point where bad blood spilled over. I sensed the same thing in Brandon's tone at the pre-draft luncheon (days before the trade). I honestly get the sense that the organization feels betrayed: they took a flier on Peters, stood by him when there wasn't an obvious position available, mentored him, developed him into being one of the better tackles in the league -- and thought they were being proactive in signing him to a pretty good contract that DID have escalators pending a move to LT. The point is: they weren't simply trying to buy low. The 2007 Peters may have outperformed that contract, but I don't think the 2008 version did. My take all along has been that Eugen Parker saw a rookie GM last year and thought he could bully him into coughing up a fat, new contract for his client. When he lost the stare-down contest, it placed him in the position of either getting the biggest contract EVER for his client -- or forcing a trade to maintain face. In the former situation he can claim that his tactics worked after all. In the latter, he can emphasize how reasonable he was being after all -- and that the Bills were low-balling his client. The sad thing is that if Parker had just given his client less self-serving (from the agent's perspective) advice last year, Peters would have shown up to camp, worked his way into shape, performed better for the team AND wound up with a nice, new contract. Instead, he was more interested in forcing him out of town for the reasons I already mentioned. Also, I do also sense that the team (or at least Jauron) never got over Crowell's 24th hour decision to have surgery last year. Note that Dick brought it up again when talking about Ellison.